Harry Potter and the Fires of Heart
by GryfWal
Summary: It's Harry's 4th year in Hogwarts again, only this time he gets support from one of his friends. Alt. Timeline, SoulBond (HHr). Warnings: Contains mature content and visual violence
1. Chapter 1 - The Fourth Champion

**Harry Potter and the Fires of Heart**

**Disclaimer**: **I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters and themes mentioned in the books, films, videos... All rights belong to JK Rowling.**

_Chapter one_

**The Fourth Champion**

"Harry Potter!" the Triwizard Tournament relic shouted through the Great Hall to the astonishment of all.

"Impossible!" or "He cheated!" were shouted relentlessly until Professor Dumbledore silenced everyone with his deep voice full of respect.

"Mr Potter, please follow me to join the other Champions…" the Old Mage asked Harry with sincerity in his calculating eyes. _`Yes, it will be a good test for him… He needs to prepare himself for his sacrifice to destroy Voldemort once and for all.`_ he thought as they entered the back hall, where the other Champions were stationed.

"May I have your attention? The Cup selected a fourth Champion, while this is highly suspicious, the contract cannot be broken, unless young Harry is willing to offer up his life. Harry…" he said, turning to the Gryffindor. "Did you throw or did you ask somebody to throw your name into the Cup?"

"No…" he answered as sweat appeared on his forehead. He thought it was a just joke at first, but this was getting deadly serious. The tasks were supposed to be extremely difficult, so why would a fourteen year old want to endanger himself? "I have no idea who did it… I've already faced dangers in this school and I'm not willing to extend the list."

"Very well, my boy." The headmaster mentioned while turning to the others. "The First Task will be held on November 24, 2004. Please try to find as many clues as possible till the start of the task. We will host a Yule Ball on the Christmas Day from 8 p.m. The Champions will arrive with their dates to start the dance. Please inform your Head of House or your Headmaster of your partner… You have time to choose till the end of November." The Old Wizard looked at them with curiosity, what the youngest generation will do in the Tournament. "If you have no further questions, please go to your bedrooms and rest. This is going to be long and hard year for all of you."

Cedric was first to leave the room, probably to meet up with his girlfriend – Cho Chang. They were an item from the end of the last year and he wanted to tell her the great news. Harry was eager to leave the place – the calculating look on the Headmaster's eyes was something he was afraid of. During the summer, Harry often wondered, why Dumbledore hadn't granted Sirius at least a trial – he had legal authority to do that… Sirius could have been interrogated under the Oath or under Veritaserum, but Dumbledore did nothing… The young Gryffindor still couldn't understand why.

Harry for the next hour wandered through the silent halls wondering, how his friends would react. He was certain Ron will have a fit – he could see his face before he left the Great Hall. Hermione, on the other hand, always supported him, even if he couldn't see it at first – the fiasco with the Firebolt from the last year, although she only had his best interests on mind.

Harry entered the Common Room, literary feeling the glares from fellow Housemates. He searched the room for Hermione, but just before he could ask, his Redheaded appeared in front of his eyes.

"How did you do it?" Ron asked. "You knew I really wanted to enter, but you had said it was impossible… I wanted to get the Glory and Money from being a Champion."

"Ron, I've told already you several time!" Hermione yelled at the Redhead, trying to pull him from Harry to leave him some space. "Why would Harry do something as reckless as that… Someone had to do this, to hurt him!"

Harry was meanwhile surprised by Ginny's actions when she approached to him. "You are great Harry… You've really tricked everyone – I know that… and you don't have to tell me… I was certain you will enter the Tournament and you know what, Harry… I'm sure you will win. You are the Hero – the Great Harry Potter I've read about since my childhood…"

Ginny was interrupted by the Twins, "Stay cool, Harry," said Gred as he silenced Ginny with his hand.

"We will protect you from our little siblings." added Forge.

"They will soon realize…" (Gred)

"You were forced to enter." (Forge)

"And don't mind Ginny …" (Gred)

"She is bonkers." (Forge)

"She read so much about you…" (Gred)

"And she has crush on you." (Forge)

"If you excuse us…" (Gred)

"We will take our sister." Fred grabbed her legs while George took her arms, taking Ginny with them.

Harry was stunned by the actions of his friends – he could understand why Ron was so immature, Ginny was something new – he always thought of her as his sister – and that was something he wouldn't change in a million years. Fred and George were as usual, and he could sense their sincerity, when they realized this Tournament wasn't a game at all.

The Common Room was disturbed by the shouts of the youngest Weasley boy, he was swearing at Hermione as he didn't believe – Harry had to find a way how to enter the Tournament and Ron was unwilling to let it go.

Hermione was furious – she didn't comprehend, why Ron just couldn't have faith in their friend. The anger was getting stronger every second and the whining of the Redhead wasn't exactly calming. When her self control lost the fight, she smacked him hard on his left cheek, leaving a bright red trace of her hand on his face. She hurried to Harry, forcibly pushing him through the opening - back to the staircases. She took his hand, moving quickly from the Portrait of Fat Lady. Taking the Invisibility cloak from her pocket, Hermione threw it over them, slowly leading the pair of young Gryffindors out of the Castle to the Lake.

The night was beautiful, when they finally got outside, Hermione dragged Harry to the Lake, quickly casting Warming Charms on both. She lowered herself behind Harry as he sat near the water surface. The Moon was shining brightly and they saw the beauty of the undisrupted nature.

"I believe in you, Harry… I always did and always will…" Hermione said as she locked her legs and arms around his torso. "There is nothing to separate me from you…" she added when she put her head on his back.

"Thanks… You are the first, who told me that… I'm grateful… I really am, Hermione," Harry spoke. He felt uncomfortable, when she first hugged him, but relaxed quite fast. "Even Dumbledore's face was different today, 'Mione. I'm not sure I can trust him anymore… His stare was cold and eerie… There was something he knew about me, something important, but he just didn't tell me. How can I trust him?" Harry asked questions more for himself than to find the answers. "He had authority as a Member of the Wizengamot to request Trial for Sirius, when he was arrested, but he did nothing."

Hermione for the first time in her life didn't know how to answer, maybe it was for better as Harry stopped talking and started crying. She realized she could only stay silent, holding him to let him know he wasn't alone, Harry would never be alone again. The sobbing stopped after several minutes, when Harry finally drifted to sleep exhausted from anxiety and long day.

Hermione withdrew her casting hand to conjure futon for two, after which she laid Harry to Magical bed. Whenever she lessened the contact, Harry stiffened a bit. She decided to stay with her best friend in the bed, hugging Harry as much as she could.

Harry had the best sleep of his life, forgetting about his everything, everything except Hermione and Sirius. She was his true friend, Harry knew that. He dreamt about his parents and Sirius, but for the first time, he remembered a happy memory from his childhood. It was a memory of him, where he changed into a black dog, then he became a stag upon laying his eyes on his father.

Harry wasn't sure where he was as he waked up still feeling night in the air, but his hand was touching something … something hot and soft, yet firm. Every time he squeezed, he heard a soft moan. Confused he finally opened his eyes, looking into deep cinnamon orbs. The eyes that could tell anything about him – Hermione's eyes. He squeezed again, shocked when another sweet moan escaped from her lips. Looking down Harry realized he not only groped her breast, but his hand was beneath her clothes, he started moving his hand away.

"You don't have to…" Hermione surprised him. "If you want, you can keep it there before we get out of bed.

Harry was confused, they always said girls hated this kind of forceful behaviour – men should be gentleman, he always thought. Assured by her words, he slowly put his hand back on her breast. "How long?"

"Just before I had fallen asleep, you were already in the limbo and you touched me." Hermione paused for a bit. "I know what are you thinking about, but it was My choice not to do anything… Bear with it, Harry." She said when she saw his attempt to apologize. "I've told you yesterday – I will always stay with you, Harry. And if holding my breasts is all you need, I will gladly do it. If you wanted a child, I would be honoured to help you with it as well. I'm here for you, Harry."

"But I don't deserve it…" he tried to protest.

"I don't care if you don't think you aren't worthy of me… I will tell you again and again – I'm here for you! I won't ever push you into something you don't want to do, and if you want something, all you have to do is to ask… I love you, Harry."

"Thank you… Thank you for everything, Hermione." Harry said as tears started to flow from his eyes. "I'm not sure what I feel for you, but I can't imagine life without you… You are the only one, except Sirius and Remus, that trusts me and the only one I trust completely. Yet I'm not sure I'm ready to announce you officially as my girlfriend." He said truthfully, worried about consequences.

"That's fine, Harry… I've already told you – we will do it, when you are ready. We still have half an hour before we have to go back to the Castle. It would be nice if we could do this more often, maybe a room in the Castle, but I'm not sure about the consequences."

"Musses wanted Roomie for Previto Stuffie?" Dobby asked as if he was there the whole conversation.

"Dobby!" Harry spoke with a hint of surprise. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"Yes… Dobby bondid with Master Harry…" the elf said in his weird English "There is Roomie, a big roomie, where you be safe. Go seven floor, walk around three near the Statie and think what you want."

Harry couldn't understand most of it, but fortunately Hermione worked everything out. "Dobby, I've read House Elves can teleport in Hogwarts. Is it possible to carry us with you to show us?"

"Yes Mussus, no biggie…" Dobby replied and when he snapped his fingers and all three disappeared with the Invisibility Cloak firm in Hermione's hand only to reappear on the floor close to the Portrait of Fat Lady "When Mussis and Master need Dobby, just say Dobby and Dobby will appear!" the eager elf said disappearing before Harry or Hermione could thank him.

Hermione didn't waste any time as she immediately started walking there and back, thinking about a nice and safe room for them. All of sudden a doorknob appeared on the wall, quickly followed by a wooden door. When Harry and Hermione entered the Room of Requirement – the name was written on the door, their jaws almost fallen out – the room was even bigger than the Great Hall with countless shelves full of books, a swimming pool and a double bed decorated in Gryffindor's colours.

The young pair explored the library first, Hermione took several books on Defensive and Offensive Magic, Runes and Arithmancy. She had a new task – to teach Harry these important branches of Magic.

Once their time was up, Harry and Hermione walked to the Great Hall to find Professor McGonagall, to ask her, whether or not it would be possible for them to stay in the room in the nights. When the pair found their Scottish teacher, she was surprised at first, but assured the duo it was all right as the Room of Requirements was considered a part of Gryffindor's territory.

"One more question Professor – could Harry take Arithmancy and Runes next semester, if he catches up and passes the Midterm exams?"

"It's highly uncommon, but if he passes, yes he can take them." Turning to Harry "If you pass your exams, I would suggest to drop Divination, Mr Potter. Otherwise your schedule will be too much with all your additional duties as Champion" Minerva said to the pair.

Happy with her results, they've thanked the Scottish Matron and hurried to the classroom for their first class of the day – Potions. The meeting with Professor Snape was never pleasant, but Harry found it bearable today. Neither one of them even bothered to think about their former Redhead friend, who could be seen steaming, destroying the his attempt of the Invisibility Potion.

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry and Hermione separated themselves from the rest of the House, staying in the Room of Requirements most of their free time and during nights, they became closer – much closer and relaxed with each other's company. But it was still too fast for Harry – he still couldn't admin Hermione was his girlfriend - he feared she would be even a greater target for his enemies.

Harry was happy when he asked Hermione to be his date for the Yule Ball, she reassured him that she will teach him yet another thing – how to dance properly. They've danced everyday at least for half an hour. Harry became proficient rather fast, but the lessons were anything but difficult - Harry had to concentrate not only on steps and rhythm, but to keep himself from touching Hermione too much.


	2. Chapter 2 - The First Task

_Chapter two_

**The First Task**

Harry woke up on the morning of the First Task – only several hours and his Fate would change forever, he was likely to die today. Neither him, nor Hermione, found any clues about the dangers he will face today. When they were on their way to the Great Hall, they met Malfoy, and the smirk on Malfoy's face – yes, his father definitely told him all about the First Task. Although Harry wasn't confident in his skills, he believed in Hermione's study sessions that covered the whole fourth year curriculum on Defensive and Offensive Magic in less than a month.

During the last few weeks, Harry and Hermione separated themselves from the rest of the Wizarding School – except Neville. He was one of the few members of the Gryffindor House that believed in Harry, but Neville choose to stay rather passive.

"Potter, the Champions are on the grounds… be sure to join them shortly." Professor McGonagall announced as she watched him in the Great Hall.

Harry nodded and hugged Hermione for support. "You will manage… I know that," he heard her whisper.

"Harry! It's nice to see you again!" Mr Bagman greeted as Harry entered the Tent. "Now that everyone is here, you are going to draw your opponent from this bag. You see… the First Task is to collect a golden egg from a dragon. After you are finished, the judges will rate your performance and decide your marks. The one with the most points will be actual leader of the Tournament."

Harry was completely frozen when he heard of the Dragons – they were vicious creatures of the Legends, even among Wizards the Dragons were something uncommon and dangerous, thanks to their power of destruction. Harry missed the breeds of Dragons that Fleur, Viktor and Cedric drew, but he had no doubts this is was going to be his last day.

"Mr Potter…" Ludo asked, shaking Harry. "You are left with Hungarian Horntail, one of the most malicious creatures on the Earth. I wish you good luck." His grin grew wider, when he saw the despair in Harry's eyes. _`Yes, he has no clue how to deal with it… I`m happy I`ve switched sides on the last moment and bet the Goblins that Harry will loose at least one limb today… And they will double the money if he dies… He might be the Chosen One, but that doesn't mean I can't make profit from him. And Merlin knows I need all the money I can get to cover my debts…` _Ludo thought.

Harry still couldn't understand why it was impossible to cancel the contract – his will slowly leaving his body. He faintly heard the screams and applause for others Champions as they completed the Task. He was the only one left.

"And last, but not least, please welcome Hogwarts Second Champion – Harry Potter." He heard the voice of Lee Jordan, "Young Harry is fight against Hungarian Horntail and I will tell you folks, I wouldn't want to be in his skin. Lets hope he will surprise us as he did all those years ago, when he defeated You-Know-Who."

Harry knew he had no other option, but to enter the Arena. The stands applauded, which agitated the Horntail even more.

"On count of three, Mr Potter!" Lee shouted. "One… Two… Three…" The counting echoed through the stands, multiplied by others joining in.

Harry remembered a charm - _`Yes, this could work – it's the only thing I can think of…`_ he thought "Accio Golden Egg!" He yelled as he replicated the wand movements for the spell, pointing the tip of his wand to the dragon's nest. Harry hoped the Egg wasn't magically protected from being summoned.

Nothing. Nothing has happened, except… The Dragon focused his glare on Harry, his agitation grew. The Horntail screeched into the air, a ball of silverfish-bluish fire started to form in his mouth. That was a bad sign for the Dragon Keepers – they knew it was a Magical fire, one hard enough to dispel and even more difficult to be protected from. If this blazing sphere hit Harry, he would be gone, that was certain.

Harry tried to run away, when he saw the flames forming, but his legs were frozen – shaking from the fear the beast possessed. His hands trembled violently as he cast newly learnt Stunner towards the drake. Nothing.

Two young Dragon Keepers approached the Dragon to pacify it, reckless they were, forgetting the distance, where the beast was deadly – the area where the Dragon could reach with its claws or its poisonous tail. One was pierced by the thorns on the Horntails tail, throwing him fifty feet away to the wall , where he collapsed, his body quickly getting cold as the pool of blood under him grew bigger every second. The second keeper had his arm ripped off his body in mere blink of an eye, shrieking from the pain the lost limb caused.

Harry's body experienced the same effects as being under Body-Bind Curse, he could only watch the mayhem in front of his eyes.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry heard one of the Senior Keepers to shout towards the lifeless body of young Redhead, that was bleeding to death. "Quick, we need to stabilize Charlie… Get me antidote for the Horntail and prepare emergency Portkey to take him to St. Mungo!"

Hermione and the others watched in horror, as the beast focused now on Harry and sent the silver-blue sphere of fire to Harry, surrounding him in the flames.

Harry mind went blank, when he saw the inferno coming to him, unable to dodge or to protect himself.

_`Wake up!`_

_`Am I dead?`_ Harry thought.

_`Wake up!`_

_`No, I don't think I'm dead…`_

_`Wake up!`_ the voice said for the third time. _`You need to shatter the locks on your Core.`_

_`What do you mean – on my Core?`_ Harry asked, curious about the voice inside his head. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't. They were blocked. He couldn't move as well.

_`Your Magical Core – it`s been chained for a long time. Several locks and restrains are holding your true potential. Let your Magic run free…`_

_`I don't understand… What do you want me to do?`_

_`You will have to break these limiters yourself. Search your soul and discover your Core surrounded by chains. Tear them down to unleash your true power!`_

The images flew through Harry's mind, his memories were soon replaced by his feelings. He searched for what he thought was till the end of time, but he finally managed to find it. Just in the corner of his imagination… somewhere you wouldn't normally look, but there it was - he found his Magical Core.

Harry saw many chains around his Core, each contained name and date. His worst assumptions were confirmed when he found several chains casted by Headmaster Dumbledore. One seal was applied at the age of one – it was after the death of his parents. The other four seals were created at the beginning of each school year in Hogwarts.

Harry tried to rip the chains from his childhood at first, but was unsuccessful, irritated with his failure he started from the other side around. This time, the seals disappeared quickly and he felt new power surge through his body.

The flames around Harry were still intact when the Dragon started to calm itself. The Dragon Keepers and the Teachers of Hogwarts tried to put the flames out, but the Magic in the blaze was strong. Even Dumbledore was unable to cast them out.

It was ten minutes after Harry disappeared in the flames, Hermione sobbed, holding tightly on Neville, who offered his shoulder to cry on.

"May I have your attention?" Dumbledore spoke with magically increased voice. "Today, the tragedy has fallen on the Wizarding World. Harry Potter, the only person in the Existence to survive the Killing Curse, was cremated in the flames of Hungarian Horntail – one of the few Dragons in the existence, that can create ultimate flames of destruction. It is my responsibility that I wasn't able to protect the security of our students! Let's all join the Prayer for the Young Boy, who lost his life today. And let's don't forget to pray for the lives of the two Dragon Keepers that tried to stop this tragedy from happening."

"Haha…" a loud laugh was heard through the field. "You are digging my grave too fast, Headmaster…"

Hermione was relieved – she instantly recognised the voice of her loved one – Harry was alive, even if it felt unreal. "Harry!" she yelled as another shouts of disbelief and surprise were heard through the audience.

Harry stepped outside of the flames, laughing. Hermione thought he would be badly burnt or worse, but his condition seemed surreal. His skin and body seemed different, but he had no scars or burns.

"Tressar is mad… How can the young human live…" the Dragon screeched as he shifted his glare towards Harry.

"Don't worry Tressar, I will repay your hospitability by hundred fold…" Harry shouted as he moved toward the beast.

"You know Dragontongue? Impossible… Human's can't comprehend this beautiful language… What is this?" the Dragon roared.

Harry didn't bother to answer – he knew from Hermione that dragons were mighty and proud creatures, looking down on all human. His pace increased and the young Gryffindor started running to the Drake.

The audience was stunned, when a fourteen year old attacked a dragon alone. They hold their breaths, even Hermione was speechless. For her, this was ridiculous act of Harry, but he already surprised her, when he survived the dragon's fire. Was this to become yet another one of his incredible feats?

Harry's speed increased beyond normal human and he was on fire… literally on fire – his elbows and feet were surrounded by golden flames, increasing his pace every second as he focused on the beast in front of him.

The Might Tressar thought Harry was a joke, just one of those human jokes… They were always amusing folks – getting killed so easily. _`Yes, this boy will be nicely torn into pieces with my sharp claws…`_ The Dragon chuckled, if you can say a dragon can laugh… _`Here he comes…`_

The dragon was surprised… surprised indeed… He was sure his slash hit Harry, but it didn't slit the boy – it only left a small cut on his right arm. A second later, the young Gryffindor landed a strong punch on the Tressar's belly, sending the dragon to the fence. Harry quickly followed his prey, landing more punches before the large beast could react.

Punch after punch, the scream of pain was getting louder until it stopped. The old Dragon was surprised, when he realized his life would end – yes, he remembered his father talking about old legends, legends older than Babylon, the legends of Dragon Slayers. In his last moments, Tressar released himself from his body to avoid the pain he would otherwise feel.

There wasn't a soul on the Hogwarts grounds that wasn't shocked and stunned by Harry's performance. No one dared to make a sound in fear the Champion will get mad and attack again.

Harry slowly walked to the Nest, the flames disappeared from his body. He picked up his Golden Egg, spinning it in his hand as it was a basketball ball, walking to the Judges for his score. The Judges were silent as everyone else, looking for clues what to write in the report of today's Event.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, dear Judges, can you please give me my score? I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to stay awake for much longer…" Harry asked, wanting to get to his bed in the Room of Requirements as soon as possible.

The Headmaster nodded, silently counting the results. "Forty points! Everyone except Headmaster Karkaroff gave you full mark," he replied _`I will have to find some answers about dragons and I will have meet Nicolas, I would have never thought a Wizard could defeat dragon with pure strength of body.`_

Harry walked back to the Tent, ignoring the stares from other Champions and Rita Skeeter, exiting from the other side as he moved towards Hogwarts. He thanked Merlin everyone was so stunned he wasn't followed until he entered his favourite Room of Requirements.

Hermione joined Harry only minutes later as she had to avoid people asking questions about Harry on her way back to the Castle. She never noticed a bug on her robe – a little beetle that was holding tight and smiling.

The situation in St Mungo wasn't so frantic for a long time – the two patients brought from Hogwarts were in serious condition and the weren't sure the Redhead will even survive – his injuries were just too severe. Yes, he got blood replenishment potions and antidotes at Hogwarts, but this was not good enough. Several Mediwitches were doing the best to restore internal organs – one of his lungs was beyond mending. After many hours of treatment, the Mungo switched diagnose from Death to Critical – they had to wait to see how Charlie's body will take so many Potions and Spells in the long run.

Pierre was the name of the second Keeper, he finished Beauxbatons only two years ago with honours and he loved his adrenaline work. His situation wasn't as threatening as Charlie's, but he suffered from psychological shock as well – he knew this was the last day of his career and he couldn't imagine doing anything `fun` with only one arm.

Rita immediately flew from Hermione's robe off to find a nice spot for listening, when the young Witch entered the Room of Requirements.

Hermione saw Harry sitting on the bed. "What happened?" she asked as she approached the young Wonder kid to hug him.

"I have no idea, Mione. I just heard a voice in my head that told me to unleash my Magic. And it was there… a proof the Headmaster is trying to use me… He put several chains on my Magic since I was a little child." Harry replied as tears dropped on his shirt.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you… for anything…" Hermione added as she hugged him. "I love you…"

"Thank you, Mione… I will go to take a shower, I'm still covered in the blood, but I don't think I have too much power to get there and stay awake…"

"Don't worry about it Harry, why don't you just use bath in this room? If you fall asleep, I will just levitate you to the bed…"

"That's brilliant…" Harry replied as he got out of the bed. He went to the bath, took all his clothes off and stepped into the bath. The wound from the Dragon hurt, but there was no blood coming from it. He relaxed, when a pair of hands massaged his sore back. There was a Heaven on Earth after all. The touch of his best friend took him to sleep in seconds.

For Rita this was pure gold – she will not only win this year's Public Service Plotzers Price _(Magical version of Pulitzer Price)_, but she had genuine information about The-Boy-Who-Lived. Rita knew some places would pay thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Galleons for the memory of nude Harry Potter. Deep in her thought, Rita didn't realize Hermione had levitated Harry to their bed and joined him for their deserved sleep.

_`This year is going great, I'm to become the number one reporter in the whole Magical World. I will finally buy more jewellery –I love it , I just love it so much. And I'm to get close to the Minister – yes, this will give me even more background information about things. It can never hurt to have another man under my foot.`_ Rita thought devilishly. She never saw it coming – a burning blaze of green flames appeared around the sleeping pair, growing every second till it hit and cremated Rita alive.

Neither Harry, nor Hermione knew what happened with the Animagus reporter as the top story of tomorrow's Daily Prophet was a sudden disappearance of Rita Skeeter.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for your support. It's sometimes hard to think in the language that is not my native (this is even harder, when it comes to dialogues to make them sound natural.)**

**And some answers:**

**As someone said in the Reviews - I've moved the HP Universe 10 years into the future (aka this fourth year is in 2004) **

**Harry + Hermione won't become extremely powerful from the start - yes Harry did something incredible, but think of it more as an Accidental Magic for now. He had to be on the bring of Death (and in the Dragon's Fire) to activate the Magic. As for Rita - same thing, but his soul actually sensed danger and reacted in defense.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Snakes, Paintings and Mustel

_Chapter three_

**Snakes, Paintings and Mustelidae**

Tom Riddle in his homunculus form enjoyed his evening – the screams of young Muggle being tortured by Pettigrew were balsam for his ears. The Dark Lord was focused on reading an old tome of Black Magic – one that would help him to create his new body. Soon, his time will come to rise again, but he needed intelligence from the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – _`Yes, today is the First Task of that stupid tournament. Just a few more minutes and the Owls of my spies will arrive with detailed summary of the task.` _he thought as he devilishly laughed.

"Master, the owls from Barty and our Pride arrived!"

"Excellent… Read the one from Pride first!" Tom commanded as he remembered his treasured spy in the Castle, nobody suspected a thing from it.

_Dear Master,_

_There is something weird about the Potter boy as you will find, when you watch my memory of the First Task._

_Potter killed a dragon on his own. I don't know how, he disappeared before I could question him, but I will report every piece of information as soon as I find it. _

_Thank you for your trust in me. _

_Your Loyal Servant_

_Pride_

_PS: I've been contacted by Barty – he is a clever one, isn't he. I'm ready to take the Hidden Mark whenever you wish, My Lord._

Lord Voldemort had finished watching the memory, when he viciously laughed. "Contact Barty to mark Pride – the Mark under tongue will be perfect. Tell them to make sure Potter will win the Tournament – I need his blood for the ritual I'm inventing."

"Yes My Lord, it will be done immediately." Peter bowed, then he left room to distribute his Master's new orders.

Voldemort watched the memory of the First Task carefully, looking at every visible detail about Harry Potter. "Wormtail!"

"Yes, My Lord," the Rat asked, when he returned to the dining room.

"Have you sent the letter?"

"Not yet, My Lord." Peter answered, hoping he won't be put under Cruciatus again.

"Excellent! Add new order for Pride – contact Lucius Malfoy, show him Mark, Lucius is to persuade Fudge to take our Portkey. This way, Lucius will prove his loyalty…" Tom laughed, yes Pride was his masterpiece.

"Yes, My Lord. I will add your new orders and send the letter!" Peter humbly replied, then exited the room.

"Nicolas… Nicolas, my dear friend… please wake up!" Albus Dumbledore asked politely to get answers about the change of Harry Potter, after he entered his private chambers. He was sure the painting of his deceased friend might have some clues.

"Aaaa…" the creator of Philosopher's Stone yawned in his portrait. "Albus, what a surprise? What do you need, my friend?"

"I have questions about Harry Potter's extraordinary performance in the First Task," the Headmaster said, telling Flamel everything, which even included his memory of the task. "So, do you know anything? Any hints at least?" Albus asked. "I wouldn't believe it, if I hadn't seen this on my own eyes."

The Maker of the Stone thought for a long time, "Have you heard of Merlin?"

"Of course I had, who wouldn't? Even Muggles know about him…" Dumbledore answered, puzzled by the question.

"Yes, but why is Merlin the Greatest Wizard of all Ages and no one came close, maybe except Godric Gryffindor," the portrait said. "I'm the only person in the known history, who succeeded in creation of the Stone, but I'm not even close to them. Why Albus?"

The Great Albus Dumbledore was speechless. "I don't know… This never occurred to me…"

"Yes… It never does… But I remember – when I was a little child, my Grand Grandfather Ulrich Flamel told me a story, a tale how he met Godric Gryffindor in his young days. He was in the first graduation year of Hogwarts. The school changed through the ages, but at those days, my Grand Grandfather was taught by Godric himself."

Albus wasn't prepared for a shock like this – yes, he knew Flamels were famous and Old Wizarding Family, but being taught under one of the Creators of the Castle was unheard of. Even the Noble lines of Blacks and Malfoys had information to century after the Hogwarts Castle was built.

"Godric and Merlin, and I suspect the young Potter is on the same boat, used spells based on feelings, emotions. Instead of learning incantations and then spell movements, he just let his heart to manifest itself. As you know, my friend, the strength of Spells we use today is affected by four factor – Magical Power, Incantation, Wand Movement and the Wand itself. Only a handful of us can cast wandlessly, but the strength is reduced greatly. Merlin's and Godric's Magic was affected only by their Magic Core Power."

"I think I can understand now a little, Nicolas," Dumbledore said while touching his long beard. "I put several binding spells on his Magical Core, even when he was little child, he performed some stunning accidental Magic and I believed it wasn't accidental at all. Harry needs to be protected, even if it means to make…" the Headmaster continued, but was interrupted.

"Albus… You've never told me that… Maybe…" the last of Flamels though. "Yes, I'm certain it was that Fire that tore those locks down. Don't try to stand in his way, my friend. Godric created many powerful Spells for the Wizarding Community, but my Grandfather told me – they were just a child's play in his eyes." The painting said in low voice.

"But… He has difficult task to accomplish, I can't let him die." Dumbledore said as their conversation continued till midnight.

Lucius Malfoy looked almost cheerful – his wish to remove the Old Fool from the school was getting closer and closer. And he would have to thank the Potter for this. The Head of the Malfoy family was happy, the meeting of the Board of Governors started only few moments ago, Lucius was sitting in his comfortable wooden armchair with a snake's head engraved on the back of the chair.

"I was telling you Augusta, Dumbledore is loosing his grip," Lucius said. "We've almost saw three deaths today, the Weasley is still in terrible condition and the Healers doesn't know, how much he will recover. We almost lost a child today and we saw that mighty beast to die…" the older Malfoy tried to persuade the Head of Longbottom family.

They've debated for more than an hour, before the assistant came to the conference hall. "Lord Malfoy, forgive me my rudeness, but there is a student waiting outside that needs to speak with you, it's a matter of life or dead."

"Thank you, Toby, tell him I will arrive soon."

"So you wanted to talk with me?" Lucius asked, bit perplexed by the person standing next to him.

"Yes, my name is Pride and Our Lord." Pride said, sticking tongue out of mouth, showing clearly the Mark. "awaits your return to the ranks. But firstly you need to kidnap Fudge with this Portkey." Pride handed the still surprised Malfoy a Portkey. "The word for activation is `Death`"

"Thank you Pride, I will get Fudge as soon as possible." Lucius said, surprised by Pride, but he knew his comrade was genuine as this Mark could only be casted by their Lord.

"My Lord will tell you your new mission, when you arrive with the Minister." Pride cruelly laughed, walking away from the old Malfoy.

Ron was genuinely pissed off – he hoped the Potter would have made fool of himself, even a severe injury would have been a nice finish of the First Task, but no. _`Potter is too perfect`_ he thought for himself, walking through the Great Hall from his dinner.

"Ahhh… Why Potter has to be so flawless!" Ron shouted, aggravated by Harry's actions. "And he shags my girl!" he added in frustration. Even someone as slow as Ron understood that Harry and Hermione no longer stayed in their beds.

"Well, well… Great speech Weasel…" Draco said, giving Ron his patented smirk. "Finally seeing the truth about Potty…"

"Malfoy, why… you little…" Ron shouted, trying to punch young Slytherin, but his hands were already tied by Crabbe. "I hate you and Potter… No, I hate Potter even more…" he hissed.

Draco quickly casted a Privacy ward as he really didn't want to be interrupted and spied on. "Weasley – I see you finally understand the truth about Potty – he's Halfblood, so he wants to sleep with Mudblood. You on the other hand are Pureblood, even through you come from Blood Traitor's Family, but your blood is still pure. Let me ask you question, would you marry that Granger?"

Ron calmed for a moment, "Of course not! I want Pureblood! Granger's smart, but she's a Mudblood and she's ugly. I only want her to do my homework, have free sex and to hurt Potter!" His eyes darkened, after he let out his latest hateful outburst.

"It's great to see you Ron to finally talk like a proper Pureblood! I wish my Father could see you now, he would have been proud of you!" Malfoy laughed, cancelled the ward and then walked off, leaving young Weasley lying on the floor.

"Wormtail!" Tom Riddle shouted, cuddling in his large woollen armchair.

"Yes, My Lord?" Peter asked, worried he might have done something, which would result in punishment.

"I've finished calculations for my Revival Potion and I need you to owl Cronk's Wizarding Supplies in Bulgaria to get Basilisk's Venom Gland, Chimera's Eye, Unicorn's Hoof and Red Dragon's Lungs. After watching Potter's performance I've realized I will need create even stronger body than the original ritual provides." Voldemort deviously laughed.

"Yes, My Lord," Pettigrew humbly answered.

_`With this new body I will become immortal, I have many Horcruxes left, only the Diary has been destroyed, but the body will grant me more than I've lost. The Venom Gland and Dragon's Lungs will increase it's durability, while Eye and Hoof will rise both dexterity and Magic storage capacity. Last, I will sacrifice my wand in the Ritual to stabilize my body and to improve the potential of the body. Thank Merlin I have Phoenix Feather in my wand, it will increase my chances the body will be full human again, not a monster. And I admit, casting wandlessly without penalty in the strength of the spell will be great.`_ Tom thought for himself as he plotted his new plans how to rule the World.

This was a turning point in Ron's life as he sat behind the desk in Hogwarts Owlery. He had to choose whether he will stay loyal to his House, or betray his Family to get what he always wanted – Money & Glory. Malfoy made his point clear, even Ron could understand that. With a sigh, he started writing a letter.

_Dear Lord Malfoy,_

_I wish to formally apologise for my deeds against Your Lordship and the Old and Noble Family of Malfoys. My words cannot express my shame – I was wrong and want to clear my name from the name of the Blood-traitor's Family. _

_My name is Ronald Weasley and I want to clean the stigma from my name and I will support your actions against non-Pureblood in Magical Britain. I wish to offer you any information about the boy known as Harry Potter – his weakness and his strengths, I can support them all – I will write one down to show you my dedication – Remus Lupin knows where Sirius Black is hiding._

_I hope you will someday recognise me as a loyal Pureblood._

_Ronald Weasley_

Ron has checked his letter several times before sending it via owl to the Malfoy's Manor. He knew the world of Power was similar to a game of chess, he choose to betray his friends, Ron had a great teacher – his rat did the same thing all those years ago.

Ron went to bed and quickly fell to his usual deep slumber. When he woke the next day, he found a hawk staring into his eyes.

"Thank you," he said as he took the parcel from the beast. He quickly tore through the paper to reveal a note and a sack full of Galleons.

_Thank you for your sincerity, young Ronald. _

_Don't be afraid, you truly are a Pureblood, be proud. _

_You can find 500 Galleons in the bag, you will be properly rewarded for your future cooperation. I will send you another note with things I need to know. _

_Stay well, L._

To say Ron was happy would be an understatement, he started laughing when he realized he earned the same amount as his father did in a year. Life was going to be great as he walked to the Great Hall with Malfoy patented smirk on his lips.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you for your support and I'm sorry it took so long (well I've written in profile I will try to update at least once a wee, but most of this chapter has been written down on Monday, than I've got sick and my brain stopped working :-D, so I had to get back to the groove.) I have ideas for the next 4-6 chapters, but don't worry, I will finish this story. It may take a while sometimes, but I will do it...**

******Mustelidae - it's the Family, under which is classified both Weasel and Ferret**


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